Earthquakes defender Nick Lima has made a strong impression in his U.S. national team debut

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Nick Lima crosses a ball during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Nick Lima smiles during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Nick Lima, left, talks with U.S. Mens National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter, right, during practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Nick Lima runs up the field during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Head coach Gregg Berhalter, center, stands next to Corey Baird, right, during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Nick Lima, right, juggles a ball with his teammates during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Corey Baird, left, smiles next to teammate Nick Lima, right, during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

Gyasi Zardes takes a shot during U.S. Mens National Team practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

U.S. Mens National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter, left, is photographed during practice at the San Jose Earthquakes’ practice facility in San Jose, Calif., on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019. (Randy Vazquez/Bay Area News Group)

The San Jose Earthquakes wait for a video review on a goal by San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) against Atlanta United in the first half at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The goal was ruled good. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) fights for the ball against Atlanta United’s Jeff Larentowicz (18) in the first half at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) fights for the ball against Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco (8) in the second half at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) fights for the ball against Atlanta United’s Chris McCann (16) in the first half at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Seattle Sounders FC’s Nouhou Tolo (5) steals the ball from San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) in the second half at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, July 25, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Nick Lima looks for a teammate Saturday night May 19, 2018 against D.C.
United, which scored a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at Avaya
Stadium. (ISI Photos)
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San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) fights for the ball against Chicago Fire’s Djordje Mihailovic (14) in the first half at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Wednesday, September 27, 2017. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

San Jose Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) attempts to pass the ball against Montreal Impact’s Ambroise Oyongo (2) in the first half of their MLS season opener at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., on Saturday, March 4, 2017. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

Nick Lima plays in a scrimmage during the Earthquakes open training camp for the 2017 season at Avaya Stadium in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group)

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SAN JOSE — The graduation invitation remains on his football coach’s refrigerator six years later.

That’s how strong of an impression Nick Lima left on Castro Valley High School coach Nic McMaster.

“Nick is the kind of leader you hope for because he is selfless,” said McMaster, now the school’s assistant principal.

Lima, who starred in football, soccer and track and field for the Trojans, has used a team-first attitude to suddenly become the hottest name in U.S. soccer. He was “man of the match” last week in his first appearance for the U.S. national team, which plays Saturday at Avaya Stadium in an exhibition game against regional rival Costa Rica.

The paradigm shifted almost magically after Lima assisted on the second goal in the United States’ 3-0 victory over Panama last weekend. He was one of five starters who made a debut for the Americans, who are under construction with new coach Gregg Berhalter, who recently led MLS’ Columbus Crew.

It was everything Lima had imagined.

“The first dream when I was a little kid was playing for the national team in the World Cup,” the Earthquakes defender said this week after a training session in San Jose.

Quakes captain Chris Wondolowski understood what the chance meant to Lima, a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at Cal. After all, Wondolowski surprised U.S. fans in 2014 by making the World Cup roster.

The man fans call “Wondo” called his teammate the night before Lima’s international initiation.

“He said when you hear that national anthem, think of all the things — the hard work, the training — that got you here,” Lima told reporters after the game. “But then just go out and do you when the game happens.”

In Cancun, Mexico, where the Earthquakes are training, about 10 players crowded around a cell phone in the dining room on Sunday to watch Lima in action. General manager Jesse Fioranelli said the scene spoke to the Quakes players’ commitment to each other as they, like the U.S. team, are undergoing major changes.

The Earthquakes’ Nick Lima (24) fights for the ball against FC Dallas’ Santiago Mosquera (11) at Avaya Stadium, where he will join the U.S. national team Saturday in a game against Costa Rica. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

“Nick has prepared for this moment for a long period of time,” Fioranelli said Thursday by phone. “It has been something that has ignited inside of him. Now he has proved what he does for us week in and week out.”

Lima’s ascent began in the East Bay where he was a goal-scoring striker who didn’t seriously consider defense until his junior season at UC Berkeley.

Lima began playing on a Castro Valley youth team coached by father Christopher Lima, a firefighter. The boy did so well he needed bigger challenges. He played for Pleasanton’s Ballistic United, which has developed three teens who in the past year have signed with the Quakes.

One of the most important stops he made was in Danville at the Mustang Academy where former Quakes general manager John Doyle is director of coaching and player development.

Lima came under the mentorship of Cris Gilmore, who earned a coaching license in a prestigious Dutch football school. The then-teenager soaked up the instruction except when Gilmore suggested he move to the backline. The kid declined.

If only he could have seen his future.

Lima went to Cal as a prized forward. But when the Golden Bears lost key defenders two years later, coach Kevin Grimes converted Lima to a fullback. The team-first player embraced the new role.

The change has led to the unfolding story as Lima became one of the country’s top draft prospects who Grimes said might have been taken No. 1 overall.

Instead, he signed a “homegrown” contract in 2017 with the Quakes after having played a year in the team’s youth academy. The special designation allows Major League Soccer teams to have exclusive rights to young players within their area.

Lima played well enough as a Quakes rookie to earn an invitation to the 2018 winter national team training camp. But he didn’t play in the two exhibition games at the time.

Enter Berhalter, who has arrived with an unconventional style he expects the Americans to play over the next three-plus years to qualify and then do well in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Berhalter has a deep reservoir of young Americans eager to prove their value as he creates a foundation that U.S. Soccer executives hopes revitalizes the program in the aftermath of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The embarrassment over not advancing out of North and Central American and Caribbean region forced those officials to sweep away the cobwebs from executives to coaches to veteran players.

Lima (24) has become a fan favorite in San Jose as a solid right fullback. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Lima — and perhaps 50 other young men — have a chance to pave a new path.

The 5-foot-9 defender caught notice because the coaches have asked Lima to play on the backline when the opponent has the ball but join the midfield to aggressively attack when the Americans push forward.

“Gregg is innovative and cutting edge and progressive in his tactics and approach,” Cal’s Grimes said this week. “A player like Nick fits into Gregg’s system.”

Berhalter recalled how his staff visualized incorporating Lima into the attack during training in Chula Vista over the past month. Put simply, the Quakes’ player impressed the coaches.

“I’ve always admired his skillset and I like his competitive attitude and he proved that he is open to trying things,” Berhalter said this week.

Lima won’t back away from a challenge for the simple reason that he wants to play.

“If you’re not going to abide by his system and adapt to it you’re not going to get play time,” he said.

The ease of the transition hasn’t surprised coaches from his past. Lima was a workhorse running back, cornerback and punter for Castro Valley’s football team. He also was a sprinter and long jumper in track while playing soccer for various top clubs.

“Being versatile starts with a mindset and it is a mindset that has carried over,” Castro Valley’s

McMaster said. “He is a huge, huge, huge team player.”

It’s why the graduation invitation remains on the refrigerator all these years later.

Elliott Almond is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group who has covered 11 Olympics, follows soccer and writes about social issues in sports such as concussions. Almond previously worked at the Los Angeles Times and Seattle Times as an investigative sports reporter and has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize three times. An author of a book on surfing, Almond spent a good portion of his youth travelling the California and Baja California coastlines searching for the perfect wave. He now can be found among towering coast redwoods in remote NorCal forests.